Brassiere



Dec. 23, 1952 5, s, ALBERTS 2,622,244

' BRASSIERE Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORSYDNEY S. ALBERTS W fmgz W0 1i d 641mm H ATTORNEYS S. S. ALBERTS Dec.23, 1952 BRASSIERE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946INVENTOR SYDNEY s. AliBERTS BY {M WW 6%.

,q/s ATTORNEYS v S. S. ALBERTS Dec. 23, 1952 BRASSIERE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946 FIG. 7

FIG. 8

INVENTOR SYDNEY S. ALBERTS Isl/ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITEDSTATES TENT OFFICE 2,622,244 BRASSIERE Sydney S. Alberts, Yonkers, N. Y.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to womens garments and has for its object toprovide a garment such as a brassiere, corselette, (or other garmentsincorporating bust cups or breast pockets) of improved construction.More particularly the invention relates to garments of this kind whereinthe breast pockets are reinforced along their margins by means of staysof stiff wire or other stiff resilient or spring-like material. Stillmore particularly the invention relates to such garments in which staysfor the individual pockets are consituted of portions of a single staymember which is resilient throughout its length.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No.689,688, filed August 10,

1946, now Patent No. 2,508,355, dated May 23, 1950. Heretofore it hasbeen the practice to make such garments by hand, that is to say, theapplication of the stay member to the fabric portion of the garment hasinvolved a considerable amount of hand labor, with the result that thecost has been excessive. The stay was combined with the fabric portionof the garment in the early stages of manufacture and costly hand laborwas required to stitch the stay to the garment, the garment being builtaround the stay, somewhat as a custom made garment would be made. Theaim of the present invention is to provide a garment construction,including such stay member or wire, which is susceptible of beingmanufactured on a quantity production basis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment constructionwhich does not require the combining of the stay member with the garmentuntil the garment is finished, or practically finished, so that thegarment can be manufactured inexpensively by conventional productionmethods which do not involve building the garment around the stay memberby hand sew- 111%.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment of the classdescribed which is constructed to facilitate removal and replacement ofthe stay member in connection with the laundering of the garment.

The invention will be understood from a consideration of theaccompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example two embodimentsof the improved garment, and also illustrate the method of manufacture.In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a brassiere of the straplessbandeau type embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section taken on. line 2-2. of .F a.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a stay member;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating three steps inassembling the garment;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of a modified form of brassiere;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified stay member; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the garment of Fig. 7 in positionas worn.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings and first to Fig. l, thebrassire I is provided with two substantially circular pocket portions 2and 3 individually shaped to enclose the breasts of the wearer. Thesepocket portions may be made of any suitable fabric and they areconnected together at the longitudinal center of the garment in anysuitable way, as for example, by means of a section 4 of fabric havingan upward extension 5 for a purpose which will appear later. At theouter sides of pockets 2, 3 are attached substantially triangularextensions 6 and l, and secured to the ends of these extensions areelastic tapes 8, 8 and a releasable and adjustable connection 9, 9 tohold the garment in place in the usual way.

Commencing at the center of the garment adjacent fabric section 4 andextending along the peripheries of pocket sections 2 and 3 there are twochannels I 0, [0 which may be placed on either the inside or the outsideof the garment. As shown in Fig. 2 these channels are constructed byattaching a tape II along the margin of the material constituting thepocket sections 2, 3. Tape H has its opposite margins I2, I2 foldedinwardly against the opposite surfaces of the material of the pocketsection, and the tape itself is folded at [3 along its longitudinalcenter line around the peripheral edge of the pocket sections.

The tape is secured by two lines of stitching l4 placed one adjacent theinner, and the other adjacent the outer, edge of tape II. This leaves achannel I0 (Fig. 2) between the tape and the surface of the material ofthe pocket section. The two channels l0, [9 of pocket sections 2 and 3are open at their inner adjacent ends I5, i! but are closed by stitchingat their opposite ends l8 and I9.

It will be understood that instead of applying a folded tape, such astape II, in order to form the space or channel In, this channel can beformed by suitably folding and stitching the material of which thepockets 2 and 3 are made, or the channel may be constructed in any otherdesirable way. Also, as garment I has been described, channel I 0follows the seam between the pocket portions 2, 3 and their respectivetriangular extensions 6 and l, the latter being cut from pieces ofmaterial which are separate from the material of pockets 2 and 3. Itwill be understood, however, that if desired each of the pockets and itsadjacent triangular extension may be made of one piece of material.

The single stay member is shown at 211 and has two symmetrical halves orarms 2 i, 22 connected together by a short cross-piece 23. The ends 25of the two arms may each be bent into the form of a closed eye forminga, rounded enlargement at each end. When the stay member 2!] is in placein the garment shown in Fig. 1, the arm portions 21 and 22 occupy thetwo channels it, ill of pocket sections 2 and 3 respectively, the ends26 extending to the ends l8 and is of the channels which are disposedsubstantially vertically above the centers of the two pocket sections.Cross-piece 23 extends between the two adjacent opposite ends it and I!of the channels and may be concealed, as for example, by means ofextension of fabric section which is arranged to be folded over andsecured in place, e. g., by means of a snap iastner 25, 25.

Stay member 26 is stiif and resilient and may be made of spring steel orother material of somewhat similar stillness and resiliency. Its ends26, before the stay is placed in the garment, occupy positions somewhathigher and somewhat nearer each other than after being placed within thechannels it, as may be seen by comparing Fig. 3 and Fig. l. The upperedges of pocket portions 2 and 3 between the ends it; and is of thechannels and the center of the garment are stretched and held taut bythe resiliency of stay 2%).

The combining of the stay and garment is illustrated in Figs. e, 5 and6. The first step is to fold the two halves of the garment so as tobring the two pocket sections 2 and 3 and the two channels it, it? intosubstantially parallel relation with one another, in which position theymay be held for example by means of the left hand, with the index fingerinserted just below fabric section l which connects the two pocketsections. Stay member is grasped by the right hand either before orafter folding the garment as just described and is bent to bring its twohalves or arms 2| into approximately parallel relation and may be heldby the right hand as shown in Fig. l. The ends 2:3 are then inserted inthe open ends 5 t and ll of channels it, and slid part way into thechannels.

If desired stay 22 may be pushed all the way into channels it, but whenthe ends 2 5 have been pushed into about the distance shown in Fig. 5the resiliency of stay 25 causes the arms to spread apart and propel thestay into channels it. This self-propulsion will continue, the arms 25and 22 sliding through the fingers until the insertion of the stay isalmost complete, with only a short portion, about as shown in Fig. 6,still remaining to be pushed in by the operator. The operator thencloses the ends of channels it in any convenient manner as, e. g.,byfolding a tab extension 5 over cross-piece 23 and closing the snapfastener 25, 25, to complete the assembly.

It will be observed that the stillness and resiliency of stay as is suchthat, although the two halves or" the stay can be bent by the hands intoparallelism, as shown in Fig. 4, when the arms are released theresiliency is sufficient to maintain the garment substantially flat,that is to stay stretched out into bust-conforming posi tion,approximately as shown in Fig. 6, where the inside portion of thegarment is given a concave curvature to conform generally with the shapeof the wearers body.

In Fig. 1 the invention has been illustrated in connection with abandeau garment of the strapless type in which the seams or hems alongthe lower edges of the two extensions 5 and 1 constitute in efiect aband fitting snugly around the body, and the upper outline of thegarment being maintained in proper position by the stillness of the staymember 26. In Fig. 7 the invention is illustrated in connection with along line type of brassire which is provided with shoulder straps and inwhich the stay member 29m is shorter.

In this modification the garment comprises a comparatively Wide bandportion, consisting of two side sections 25 and an intermediate centralelastic section El. The side sections 26 are provided with the usualfastening devices 23 by means of which the garment may be fastenedtogether at the rear to hold it in place. The pocket sections 2m and 3mare stitched along substantially arcuate seams in part to side sections28 and in part to mid-section 2'1. Along these seams there also extendthe two channels Him, mm which may be formed by the application of astrip of tape 25 over the circular seams, this tape being held in placeby two lines of stitches 33 along its marginal edges.

Inasmuch as stay member 29m is shorter than stay 28 channels 53m may beterminated short of the top centers 3! of the pocket sections, althoughfrom a manufacturing standpoint it may be simpler to continue thechannels to the tops of the pockets as is the case in Fig. l. Shoulderstraps 32 are attached at the top centers ti and at the proper points atthe rear of the two side sections 2%. The inner ends of channels [em areopen as before, as indicated at Him and lim, and after the stay has beenput in place, its upper portion may be concealed by means of a flapextension 5m which is held in place as previously described.

In this form of garment the two pocket sections 2m and tm areinterconnected by means of elastic insert 2i, as well as by fabricsection 4m which is preferably but not necessarily inelastic. The methodof assembling stay 22m in channels Him is similar to that describedabove. The length of the arm portions 21m and 22m can be varied asdesired.

Although the upper edges 33 of pockets 2m and 3122 between the topcenter points 3! of the pockets and the longitudinal center of thegarment (also the similar edges of the garment of Fig. l) are shown asbeing straight, it will be understood that they may have a circular 01'other curved outline as desired. Also it may be understood that thepocket sections of either the garment of Fig. 1 or Fig. '7 althoughshown as being made of one piece of material, may be of the two piecetype, that is with the lower pocket sections of somewhat heavier orstiffer material than the upper or of any other suitable material, orstyle, as dictated by the fashion of the time.

Because of the stiffness of arm members Elm and 22m and the width of theband sections 26,

21 of the garment of Fig. 7, there is'atendency for the lower portionsof the two pocket sections to hang away'fro'm the body. This tendonshown in' Fig 9, in'orderfor' the lower portions of pocket sections 2mand 3m to fit snugly against the body, as at 34, it is necessary thatelastic insert 21 be stretched along its lower edge to a greater extentthan in its upper portion. The stretch or extension of this material inthe upper part of section 21 between the pocket sections enables thepocket sections to be brought into proper fitting relation to thebreasts. This is provided for in the garment in Fig. l by the flexing ofstay member 23.

The modified form of stay member 26m is shown as being provided with aproperly tempered spring loop 35 in its connecting cross-piece 23m so asto facilitate the bending together of the two halves or arms of the staymember during the assembly operation,

It will be understood that Whenever reference is made in the appendedclaim to the peripheries of breast pockets, it is to the boundary ofthat portion of the pocket intended actually to enclose the breast whichis referred to rather than to the pattern or seam of the pocket whichmay be square or rectangular or oblong and may extend beyond thechannels I 9.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to theparticular forms which have been illustrated and described above by wayof example, but may be variously modified within the scope of theappended claim.

I claim:

In a garment of the class described, a pair of interconnected pocketsadjacent one another shaped to receive the breasts, channels extendingalong the peripheries of said respective pockets, said channels havingentrance openings adjacent each other substantially at the center ofgarment, a unitary stay member stiff and resilient from end to end andhaving two connected symmetrical arm portions shaped to conformsubstantially to the shape of the channels of said respective pockets,one of said arms being positioned in each of said channels when thegarment is worn to maintain the garment in bustconforming position, across piece interconnecting said arms at the center of the garment, saidarms being constructed and arranged for removal and i e-introductionthrough said channel openings when the arms are folded upon one another,and a single tab connected to the garment at the center thereof andfoldable to close the said channel openings and at the same time toserve as a cover for the cross piece of said stay member.

SYDNEY S. ALBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,303 Alberts Jan. 29, 19352,131,357 Tachat Sept. 27, 1938 2,388,535 Gluckin Nov. 6, 1945 2,508,355Alberts May 23, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 548,177 FranceOct. 13, 1922 781,297 France Feb. 18, 1935

